Saturday tips: Martin Dixon's four best bets at Haydock and Ayr

This is a horse that is ready to win very soon for Emma Lavelle. He’s finished second on his past two starts and, on both occasions, bumped into rivals that have gone on to follow up in handicaps. 

He’s basically faced very well-handicapped horses and has only been raised a combined total of two pounds for those defeats, so I think there’s mileage in his rating of 72. 

I also believe there’s more improvement left in him, and he drops back in trip here having impressed with how he’s travelled through his races, so I don’t think that’s a negative.

He’s had an excellent first season already with Mick Appleby, and his sole win this year came at Haydock. This is his first run at the track since that victory, and he ran very well in the Moet & Chandon International Handicap at Ascot a fortnight ago. It looked like he might win that a furlong out, but the stiff seven furlongs at Ascot just seemed to find him out in such a competitive race. 

Seven furlongs at Haydock is a bit easier, and he’s got a good draw plus there should be a strong pace for him to aim at. Easier ground is also a positive and this is a slightly less competitive handicap than he contested at Ascot last time out. He's my nap of the day.

This three-year-old is dropping in class here and his handicap starts so far have come in big-field races at Ascot that have been tough going for him. 

I think he’ll find this small-field contest at Haydock a fair bit easier, and it’s a track he won at last season. He also ran a good race in defeat when fourth in Listed company over this course and distance last season.

This is certainly less competitive than the past two races he has contested, and he returns to the scene of his only win so far. Richard Kingscote is always a positive jockey booking at Haydock, and I think Hawksbill still has some upside in him.

Tele Red takes quite a significant drop in class from his recent starts here. He scored off a rating of 76 at Ayr in 2023 and is now very well handicapped on lots of his form from the past couple of seasons. 

Although he hasn’t won for a while, he has been running very well in defeat this year, including when sixth in a big-field handicap at York last time out. I thought he ran with plenty of credit there, and going back up in trip to 1m2f is probably a positive. 

This 0-75 handicap will be much easier for him compared to the races he has been contesting for a while and I’m hoping he can take advantage of this easier assignment.